Characterization of the sulfur-formation (suf) genes in Synechocystis sp PCC 6803 under photoautotrophic and heterotrophic growth conditions

The sulfur-formation ( suf ) genes play important roles in both photosynthesis and respiration of cyanobacteria, but the organism prioritizes Fe-S clusters for respiration at the expense of photosynthesis. Iron-sulfur (Fe-S) clusters are important to all living organisms, but their assembly mechanism is poorly understood in photosynthetic organisms. Unlike non-photosynthetic bacteria that rely on the iron-sulfur cluster system, Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 uses the Sulfur-Formation (SUF) system as its major Fe-S cluster assembly pathway. The co-expression of suf genes and the direct interactions among SUF subunits indicate that Fe-S assembly is a complex process in which no suf genes can be knocked out completely. In this study, we developed a condition-controlled SUF Knockdown mutant by inserting the petE promoter, which is regulated by Cu2+ concentration, in front of the suf operon. Limited amount of the SUF system resulted in decreased chlorophyll contents and photosystem activities, and a lower PSI/PSII ratio. Unexpectedly, increased cyclic electron transport and a decreased dark respiration rate were only observed under photoautotrophic growth conditions. No visible effects on the phenotype of SUF Knockdown mutant were observed under heterotrophic culture conditions. The phylogenetic distribution of the SUF system indicates that it has a co-evolutionary relationship with photosynthetic energy storing pathways.